Going into the offseason, Montreal Canadiens general manager (GM) Kent Hughes had a huge task ahead of him. He needed to make a splash at the 2022 Draft in Montreal and shed cap space to sign free agents (FA) and his unsigned players through entry-level contracts and restricted free agents (RFA). He did almost all of these things plus got good value on a player who wanted out of town. Here is a look at the news and rumours from this week.
Canadiens Trade Petry to Penguins
Jeff Petry had one of his worst seasons in the NHL last year with the Canadiens. After five seasons of 40-plus points, he had a terrible start, scoring only two points in his first 27 games. Many speculated that his hand injury during the Canadiens’ Stanley Cup run last season caused his offensive woes. Other factors soon revealed themselves, which were more personal and family-related; due to the COVID restrictions in Quebec, Petry moved his family to his home state of Michigan. Being away from his wife and family was a struggle, which seemed to affect his play. He also had issues with then head coach Dominic Ducharme’s coaching style, and communication with the head coach was frustrating. When Martin St. Louis replaced Ducharme, there was a vast improvement in Petry’s play, and he finished the season with 27 points, scoring 23 points in his final 37 games.
During the season, Petry made it known he wanted to be traded from Montreal and GM Hughes told him he would do it if it were good for both the team and the player. At last week’s draft, many thought Petry would be on the move, but nothing materialized, although there was a conversation between Hughes and Pittsburgh GM Ron Hextall on the draft floor on day two. Still, nothing happened until a little over a week later — Petry was traded, along with center Ryan Poehling, to the Penguins for defenceman Mike Matheson and a 2023 fourth-round pick. Matheson is a Montreal native who had been previously represented by Hughes when Hughes was an agent; Matheson had a career season last year, scoring 11 goals and 31 points.
Pierre-Luc Dubois Still Attached to Canadiens
Since playing for the Columbus Blue Jackets, Pierre-Luc Dubois was rumoured to become a Montreal Canadien. Now that he is an RFA with the Winnipeg Jets, the rumours are running rampant that he will soon be a Hab. Dubois’s agent Pat Brisson told TVA Sports, “Montreal is a city he would probably… he’s a…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at The Hockey Writers…